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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. can — a tin
  7. deal — to handle
  8. last — final
  9. can — a tin
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rash — a series
  12. hand — help
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. can — to be able to
  16. lean — to bend
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. last — to go on
  20. pit — in a race
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pit — a hole

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com