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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bank — for money
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. clip — to cut
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. swing — to play on
  13. clip — a video
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. last — to go on
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. swing — music
  22. mark — a trace
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wind — moving air

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