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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · land · plane · ground · last · bowl · bay · jam

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. last — finally
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. club — for dancing
  9. ground — a position
  10. land — a country
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. club — for golf
  15. plane — a tool
  16. land — ground
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. ground — the earth
  19. last — final
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. land — to come down
  24. last — to go on

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