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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — the earth
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rock — music
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — for sport
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. court — of a king
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. ground — a position
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. mine — for digging
  21. court — of law
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ground — crushed

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