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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. drill — army training
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. drill — a practice
  8. last — finally
  9. land — ground
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. last — to go on
  12. field — farmland
  13. mug — a cup
  14. field — a subject
  15. land — a country
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wake — a trail
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. land — to come down
  21. mug — a face
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. field — for sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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