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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: wind · game · pit · bay · rush · bass · last · staff

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — finally
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. staff — employees
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bass — low music
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. staff — employees
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. staff — a stick
  22. last — to go on
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. last — final

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