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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rest — what's left
  3. drill — army training
  4. cell — a phone
  5. last — final
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pop — to visit
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rest — a break
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pop — music
  13. last — to go on
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. pop — soda
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. track — a path
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. track — a song

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