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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. net — in sport
  5. object — to protest
  6. land — to come down
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. net — after costs
  13. land — ground
  14. object — an aim
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pass — a permit
  18. chip — for betting
  19. object — a thing
  20. last — finally
  21. bass — low music
  22. net — for catching
  23. land — a country
  24. chip — in a computer

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