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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. net — in sport
  3. last — finally
  4. net — for catching
  5. tear — to rip
  6. club — a group
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bass — low music
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. net — after costs
  11. tear — from crying
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. club — for dancing
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rash — a series
  20. last — final
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rash — hasty
  24. club — for golf

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