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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: fan · mark · roll · rest · pitcher · ground · last · rush

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — a position
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mark — a trace
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. roll — a list
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. last — final
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ground — crushed
  23. roll — a cake
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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