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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. band — a ring
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. band — a music group
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. tear — to rip
  17. game — a match
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bass — the fish
  20. last — finally
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. last — final
  24. game — wild animals

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