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

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rock — music
  3. land — ground
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rock — a stone
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. last — to go on
  11. land — to come down
  12. can — a tin
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. land — a country
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — finally
  23. wake — a trail
  24. court — for sport

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