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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. staff — employees
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. last — to go on
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rock — music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. lie — to recline
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rock — a stone
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. file — a tool
  16. bass — low music
  17. ball — a great time
  18. last — final
  19. file — a document
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. staff — employees
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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