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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. can — a tin
  6. drill — army training
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. craft — a skill
  11. last — finally
  12. craft — boats
  13. bass — low music
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mate — a friend
  18. can — to be able to
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. can — a tin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. last — to go on

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