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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. last — final
  3. bass — the fish
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. face — to point toward
  8. last — finally
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — a coil
  12. last — to go on
  13. bound — certain
  14. spring — of water
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spring — the season
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. face — to confront
  21. bass — low music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fine — high quality

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