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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · suit · last · bowl · wind · face · bay · pitcher

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. suit — to fit
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. face — to confront
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. suit — in cards
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rock — music
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. suit — clothes

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