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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. last — finally
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bass — the fish
  6. last — final
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. last — to go on
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rash — a series
  23. bowl — to roll
  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