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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — ground
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. band — a ring
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. staff — employees
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. staff — a stick
  14. row — a line
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. suit — in cards
  18. band — a music group
  19. last — to go on
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. last — final
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — clothes

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