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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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Word bank
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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: cap · jam · rest · drill · rush · season · roll · last

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. last — finally
  8. season — of the year
  9. cap — a hat
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. last — to go on
  13. season — in sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cap — of ice
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. cap — a lid
  19. drill — the tool
  20. roll — a list
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. rush — hurry
  23. drill — army training
  24. last — final

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