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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. last — final
  6. wind — moving air
  7. last — finally
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wind — moving air
  18. foot — a measure
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. last — to go on
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ball — a dance

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