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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. last — final
  3. bass — the fish
  4. spell — magic
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — to go on
  8. game — a match
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spell — letters
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. last — finally
  13. game — wild animals
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bass — low music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — steady
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. spell — a short time
  24. plane — a tool

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