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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. staff — employees
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mug — a face
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. last — final
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pitch — completely
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mug — a cup
  18. last — to go on
  19. staff — employees
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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