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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rule — a law
  3. last — finally
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. firm — a company
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rule — government
  16. firm — steady
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. ball — a great time
  19. row — a line
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. firm — decided
  22. last — final
  23. row — to paddle
  24. track — a song

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