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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. last — final
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. current — happening now
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — in biology
  12. season — in sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. last — finally
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. stand — to bear
  24. season — of the year

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