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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 116 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: last · cell · perch · dip · rest · snap · hand · bowl

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. last — to go on
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. perch — the fish
  7. hand — in cards
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. cell — a phone
  16. dip — to sink
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. last — final
  23. rest — what's left
  24. last — finally

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