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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pop — soda
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. last — to go on
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. drill — army training
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. last — finally
  9. rush — hurry
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. last — final
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pop — music
  16. drill — a practice
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mine — for digging

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