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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. face — to confront
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. last — final
  10. face — part of the head
  11. capital — money
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. capital — a city
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bass — the fish
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bass — low music
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. staff — employees
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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