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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 124 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. last — to go on
  3. club — for golf
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bass — low music
  9. lie — to recline
  10. last — finally
  11. toast — bread
  12. date — the fruit
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. club — a group
  21. last — final
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. scale — in music
  24. date — on the calendar

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