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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. court — for sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. shower — to wash
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. court — of law
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. court — of a king
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. shower — rain
  24. bowl — to 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