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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pop — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. current — of water
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. perch — the fish
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. current — happening now
  14. bass — the fish
  15. last — to go on
  16. pop — to visit
  17. current — electric
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pop — soda
  20. bass — low music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — final
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wound — an injury

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