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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bass — low music
  3. rash — a series
  4. land — a country
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. last — to go on
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. last — final
  16. fork — in a road
  17. land — ground
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. last — finally
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. drill — army training
  23. land — to come down
  24. perch — for a bird

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