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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. band — a music group
  3. roll — a cake
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. last — finally
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. court — for sport
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. foot — a measure
  17. band — a ring
  18. court — of a king
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. court — of law
  21. club — for dancing
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. foot — the bottom

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