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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rash — a series
  4. plane — a tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — the season
  7. last — finally
  8. mug — a face
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bass — low music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. last — final
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mug — a cup
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rash — hasty
  23. last — to go on
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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