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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. staff — employees
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. staff — employees
  9. chest — a box
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. stem — to come from
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hand — help
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. last — finally

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