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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. sharp — clever
  3. last — finally
  4. land — a country
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. present — a gift
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — ground
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bass — low music
  13. land — to come down
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. present — there
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — the time now
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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