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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. last — finally
  3. object — a thing
  4. sharp — clever
  5. court — of law
  6. wind — moving air
  7. court — for sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. last — final
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. court — of a king
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. object — an aim
  21. last — to go on
  22. row — to paddle
  23. object — to protest
  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