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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  3. ball — a dance
  4. last — final
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — shares
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. plane — a tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. stock — goods
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mine — an explosive
  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