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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pit — a hole
  6. kid — child
  7. can — a tin
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — help
  13. bass — low music
  14. pit — in a race
  15. can — to be able to
  16. last — finally
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rest — what's left
  19. last — final
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — in cards
  23. last — to go on
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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