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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. ground — a position
  11. toast — bread
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bound — tied together
  14. degree — temperature
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. season — in sport
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bound — certain
  22. bass — low music
  23. last — to go on
  24. degree — from a university

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