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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. current — happening now
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. bass — low music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. key — for a lock
  14. current — of water
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pass — a permit
  20. key — in music
  21. last — final
  22. pound — a weight
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. current — electric

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