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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. face — to confront
  3. squash — to crush
  4. last — final
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. squash — the sport
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bass — low music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. band — a music group
  23. bass — the fish
  24. last — to go on

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