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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. last — to go on
  2. game — wild animals
  3. last — finally
  4. mug — a cup
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. root — the cause
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — soda
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. root — of a word
  12. game — a match
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. club — a group
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pop — to visit
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mug — to rob
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mug — a face
  23. pop — music
  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