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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. last — to go on
  3. field — farmland
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. field — for sport
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bass — low music
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rock — music
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rock — to move gently

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