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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. last — finally
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. last — to go on
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wake — a trail
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. root — of a word
  22. mate — to breed
  23. root — the cause
  24. cap — of ice

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