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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · rule · last · rest · wave · bowl

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rule — government
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rest — what's left
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rest — a break
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. last — final
  18. wave — with your hand

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