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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. season — of the year
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — to go on
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. lie — to recline
  7. snap — to click
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bank — for money
  10. last — finally
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cell — a phone
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bass — low music
  18. cell — in biology
  19. last — final
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. season — in sport
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bank — of a river
  24. lie — an untruth

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