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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wind — moving air
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bank — of a river
  6. last — final
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bank — for money
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rash — a series
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bank — for money
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. last — to go on

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