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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. row — a line
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rock — a stone
  6. last — final
  7. object — a thing
  8. mine — for digging
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. last — to go on
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wind — moving air
  19. row — to paddle
  20. object — to protest
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. object — an aim
  24. rock — music

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