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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — finally
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fork — in a road
  12. game — wild animals
  13. charge — in control
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. club — for dancing
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. charge — a price
  22. last — to go on
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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