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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. field — farmland
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. last — finally
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. last — final
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. field — a subject
  12. club — a group
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bat — the animal
  15. field — for sport
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wind — moving air
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. club — for golf
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. arm — part of the body

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