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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. land — ground
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — to go on
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. clip — to cut
  8. land — a country
  9. lean — thin
  10. clip — a video
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rock — music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rock — a stone
  16. plane — a tool
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. last — final
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. ball — a great time
  22. land — to come down
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. ball — a dance

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