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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cell — a phone
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. rule — a law
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. scale — in music
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. rule — government
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bass — low music
  18. cell — in biology

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