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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mug — a cup
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. capital — a city
  6. club — a group
  7. capital — money
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bore — to drill
  11. club — for golf
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wind — moving air
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mug — a face

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