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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cue — a signal
  5. last — final
  6. key — for a lock
  7. court — of law
  8. cue — a hint
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. last — to go on
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cue — for pool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. court — of a king
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. key — in music
  22. court — for sport
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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