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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rest — what's left
  4. content — the amount
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bass — the fish
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. content — happy
  10. last — to go on
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cap — of ice
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rest — a break
  18. last — final
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. last — finally
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bass — low music

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