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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rush — hurry
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stock — shares
  11. last — finally
  12. bass — low music
  13. rash — a series
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stock — goods
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. key — for a lock
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. last — to go on
  24. rash — hasty

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