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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bass — low music
  7. last — final
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bass — the fish
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. clip — to cut
  20. scale — in music
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. deal — to handle
  23. last — to go on
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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