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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. land — ground
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. current — electric
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. swing — music
  12. club — for dancing
  13. land — a country
  14. bass — low music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. land — to come down
  17. club — a group
  18. swing — to play on
  19. last — finally
  20. club — for golf
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — the fish
  23. swing — in golf
  24. patient — a sick person

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