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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. last — final
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. toast — bread
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wind — moving air
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — size or range
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — in music
  12. march — the month
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. last — finally
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. last — to go on
  21. wind — moving air
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. march — music
  24. mark — a trace

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