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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lean — to bend
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chip — to eat
  10. season — of the year
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bass — low music
  13. chip — for betting
  14. firm — steady
  15. lean — thin
  16. season — in sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. firm — a company
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. firm — decided
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kid — child

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