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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. last — to go on
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. spring — the season
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. band — a ring
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rule — government
  11. last — finally
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bass — low music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. band — a music group
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rule — a law
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spell — magic
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spring — of water
  24. last — final

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