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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. mine — for digging
  4. vault — a safe
  5. swing — in golf
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. mate — to breed
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. suit — to fit
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. last — finally
  18. mate — a partner
  19. swing — music
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. suit — clothes

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