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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. mug — a face
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. court — of law
  9. land — a country
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. row — a line
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. court — of a king
  16. pitch — completely
  17. court — for sport
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. row — a quarrel
  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