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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: stick · deal · last · cabinet · rush · tear · land · mate

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mate — a friend
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — final
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. last — to go on
  11. mate — a partner
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tear — from crying
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. land — ground
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cabinet — ministers

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