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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spell — magic
  3. object — a thing
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. shower — rain
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — final
  12. band — a music group
  13. spell — letters
  14. shower — to wash
  15. last — finally
  16. bass — low music
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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