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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. firm — steady
  3. land — ground
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. last — to go on
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. last — final
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. land — a country
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. land — to come down
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — decided
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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