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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bass — the fish
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — to rip
  9. present — there
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cue — for pool
  12. present — the time now
  13. cue — a signal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. last — final
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — a gift
  18. bass — low music

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