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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. saw — the tool
  3. land — ground
  4. march — the month
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. land — a country
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. last — to go on
  10. march — the month
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. last — final
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. land — to come down
  18. wind — moving air
  19. last — finally
  20. march — music
  21. bark — to shout
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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