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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. land — to come down
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. field — farmland
  5. object — a thing
  6. hand — help
  7. present — a gift
  8. field — for sport
  9. land — a country
  10. hand — in cards
  11. last — to go on
  12. object — to protest
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. object — an aim
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. last — final
  17. field — a subject
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. present — the time now
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. land — ground
  22. present — there
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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