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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. last — to go on
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. sharp — clever
  6. last — finally
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. row — a line
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bass — low music
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. last — final
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mark — a trace
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. hand — help
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. hand — in cards

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