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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. suit — in cards
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. suit — to fit
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. drill — the tool
  16. track — a song
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. suit — clothes
  19. last — to go on
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rush — to hurry

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