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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mark — a grade
  4. club — a group
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mark — a trace
  7. capital — money
  8. club — for golf
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. last — final
  12. chair — a leader
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. last — to go on
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. last — finally
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. club — for dancing
  21. capital — a city
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mark — to pay attention

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