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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. last — to go on
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bass — low music
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bat — the animal
  24. coach — a trainer

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