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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. root — of a word
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. ball — a dance
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ball — a great time
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. last — final
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. root — the cause
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. root — of a plant

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