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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chest — of your body
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chest — of your body
  5. last — final
  6. bass — the fish
  7. object — an aim
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. season — in sport
  13. chest — a box
  14. bass — low music
  15. object — to protest
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. land — ground
  21. fork — in a road
  22. object — a thing
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fork — a garden tool

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