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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. last — to go on
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pit — in a race
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pit — a hole
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wound — an injury
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — goods
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. last — finally
  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