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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. last — finally
  5. rash — hasty
  6. last — to go on
  7. saw — the tool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. board — to get on
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — final
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. scale — in music
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bass — low music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. board — a committee
  23. rash — a series
  24. saw — the tool

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