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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. last — to go on
  5. bass — the fish
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. prune — to trim
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. toast — bread
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chest — a box
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bass — low music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fine — high quality
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. pitcher — a jug

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