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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. mate — a friend
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. last — to go on
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for golf
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mate — to breed
  18. current — electric
  19. bank — for money
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bank — of a river
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bank — for money
  24. last — finally

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