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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. last — finally
  3. wake — a trail
  4. ground — a position
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bat — the animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. fine — high quality
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bass — low music
  15. fine — all right
  16. pop — soda
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pop — music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. last — final
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ground — crushed

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