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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: rock · ball · rest · bound · bowl · last · snap · tear

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rock — music
  3. bound — certain
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — obliged
  8. tear — to rip
  9. last — final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. last — finally
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rest — a break
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. tear — from crying

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