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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. game — wild animals
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. saw — the tool
  11. last — finally
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. can — a tin
  21. net — after costs
  22. press — to push
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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