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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 120 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. file — a line of people
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bass — low music
  12. lie — to recline
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. tube — a container
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. last — to go on
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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