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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. last — to go on
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. last — final
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mate — a partner
  11. last — finally
  12. court — of law
  13. mate — a friend
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. saw — the tool
  24. court — for sport

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