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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. rock — a stone
  3. roll — a cake
  4. last — to go on
  5. content — the amount
  6. bat — the animal
  7. club — for golf
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. last — finally
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rock — music
  14. content — happy
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. club — a group
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. roll — a list
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. last — final
  24. club — for dancing

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