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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mark — a trace
  4. swing — in golf
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mark — a grade
  7. ground — crushed
  8. object — to protest
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. present — the time now
  12. ground — a position
  13. last — to go on
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. swing — music
  16. object — a thing
  17. rest — what's left
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. object — an aim
  21. last — finally
  22. rest — a break
  23. last — final
  24. bass — low music

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