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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. chip — to eat
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. kid — child
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. last — final
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kid — to tease
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — happy
  18. bass — the fish
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chip — for betting
  23. content — the amount
  24. bass — low music

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