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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: rock · last · cell · snap · rash · dip · mate · mine

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. dip — to sink
  14. last — finally
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. snap — to click
  18. mate — a friend
  19. last — final
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rash — a series
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rock — music

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