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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. ball — a dance
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — a division
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. last — final
  23. bear — the animal
  24. last — to go on

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