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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. object — to protest
  3. wound — an injury
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. last — final
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. row — to paddle
  12. object — a thing
  13. plane — a tool
  14. object — an aim
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wound — an injury
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. last — finally
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. row — a line
  24. last — to go on

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