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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. content — the amount
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cell — in biology
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. content — happy
  11. rush — hurry
  12. last — final
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. last — to go on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bass — the fish
  18. season — of the year
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. season — in sport
  21. bass — low music
  22. last — finally
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cell — a phone

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