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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. last — final
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wind — moving air
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — to protest
  16. last — to go on
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. object — a thing
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. last — finally
  24. wind — to turn a key

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