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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. spell — magic
  5. last — finally
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — a short time
  12. can — to be able to
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. last — to go on
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rest — what's left
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. spell — letters
  22. bass — low music
  23. last — final
  24. bass — the instrument

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