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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. roll — a list
  3. land — a country
  4. foot — a measure
  5. lean — to bend
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — a coil
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. last — to go on
  11. spring — the season
  12. staff — a stick
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. land — to come down
  16. roll — a cake
  17. spring — of water
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. last — final
  22. lean — thin
  23. land — ground
  24. roll — on a roll

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