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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. land — a country
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mark — a trace
  6. land — ground
  7. staff — a stick
  8. land — to come down
  9. staff — employees
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mark — a grade
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. bank — for money
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bank — for money
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. staff — employees
  24. bay — a horse colour

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