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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. scale — in music
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mate — a friend
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mate — a partner
  15. game — a match
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mate — to breed
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. game — wild animals
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ball — a dance
  24. last — final

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