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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — finally
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pop — music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ball — a great time
  16. last — to go on
  17. ball — a dance
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chair — a leader
  21. file — a document
  22. pop — soda
  23. calf — of the leg
  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