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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. foot — a measure
  4. last — final
  5. roll — a list
  6. last — to go on
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. last — finally
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. swing — music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. object — an aim
  14. roll — a cake
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — a thing
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. roll — on a roll

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