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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mine — for digging
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — to fit
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rest — a break
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. net — for catching
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bass — low music
  16. last — final
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. net — after costs
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. net — in sport
  22. last — to go on
  23. bass — the fish
  24. nail — for a hammer

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