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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. scale — size or range
  3. last — final
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mark — a grade
  6. scale — in music
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. last — finally
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rule — government
  14. mark — a trace
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pass — a permit
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. kid — child
  19. bass — low music
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rule — a law
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. kid — to tease

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