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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. last — finally
  3. band — a ring
  4. last — to go on
  5. bass — low music
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. rash — a series
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. band — a music group
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fall — the season
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spell — magic
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. last — final

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