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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bound — certain
  4. last — final
  5. season — in sport
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bass — low music
  15. last — finally
  16. bass — the fish
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. season — of the year
  20. last — to go on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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