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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. last — finally
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. last — final
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wind — moving air
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. court — for sport
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. last — to go on
  24. wind — moving air

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