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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lean — thin
  5. last — to go on
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bass — low music
  10. file — a document
  11. firm — decided
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pit — a hole
  14. file — a line of people
  15. firm — steady
  16. row — a line
  17. staff — employees
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lean — to bend
  20. firm — a company
  21. file — a tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. pit — in a race
  24. last — final

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