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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. staff — employees
  8. bass — low music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rash — hasty
  12. last — final
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. last — to go on
  17. object — an aim
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. tube — a container
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. last — finally

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