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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bark — to shout
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cold — not warm
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spell — magic
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bass — low music
  17. suit — clothes
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. saw — the tool
  21. suit — to fit
  22. spell — letters
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bark — of a tree

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