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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. cue — a signal
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. key — in music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. can — to be able to
  14. season — of the year
  15. can — a tin
  16. cue — a hint
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. can — a tin
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. season — in sport
  24. perch — for a bird

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