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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. last — final
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. pit — in a race
  6. spell — letters
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bass — low music
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. last — finally
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. spell — a short time
  18. suit — to fit
  19. track — to keep track
  20. last — to go on
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bass — the fish
  23. spell — magic
  24. pound — for dogs

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