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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chest — a box
  4. fine — all right
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. press — newspapers
  13. game — wild animals
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — to go on
  16. season — of the year
  17. last — final
  18. fine — high quality
  19. press — a publisher
  20. suit — to fit
  21. press — to push
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. suit — clothes

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