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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. march — music
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bass — low music
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. last — to go on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cue — for pool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. march — the month
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cue — a signal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — finally
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bass — the fish
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. march — the month
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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