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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. fine — all right
  9. last — finally
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. last — final
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fine — high quality
  19. current — of water
  20. foot — a measure
  21. vault — a safe
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. foot — part of the body

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