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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. last — final
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spell — magic
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. content — happy
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. last — finally
  16. vault — a safe
  17. spell — a short time
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. content — the amount
  20. spell — letters
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — videos and posts

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