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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. current — electric
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. current — of water
  11. last — final
  12. current — happening now
  13. spell — magic
  14. saw — the tool
  15. plane — a tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. spell — letters
  22. last — to go on
  23. spell — a short time
  24. racket — for tennis

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