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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rock — music
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. present — the time now
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. season — of the year
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. last — final
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. last — to go on
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. season — in sport
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wind — to turn a key

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