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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. land — to come down
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. bass — the fish
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. land — ground
  20. squash — to crush
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bass — low music
  23. land — a country
  24. last — final

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