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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. ground — crushed
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. club — a group
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. last — finally
  11. club — for dancing
  12. ground — a position
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tube — a container
  15. drill — a practice
  16. last — to go on
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. last — final
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. club — for golf

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