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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. swing — music
  4. scale — in music
  5. last — to go on
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. swing — to play on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mate — to breed
  12. scale — size or range
  13. last — finally
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bank — for money
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bank — for money
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bank — of a river
  24. swing — in golf

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