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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bass — the fish
  5. last — final
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — a line
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — an aim
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rest — a break
  15. object — a thing
  16. rest — what's left
  17. last — finally
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. bass — low music
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. row — a quarrel

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