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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. track — to keep track
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bass — low music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rash — hasty
  10. last — final
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. track — a path
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. last — to go on
  17. track — a song
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bass — the fish
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bound — certain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — finally
  24. branch — a division

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