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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. season — of the year
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wake — a trail
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. staff — employees
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. season — in sport
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ground — crushed
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. last — to go on
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. staff — employees
  21. game — a match
  22. last — finally
  23. game — a kind of play
  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