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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bass — low music
  3. last — to go on
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mate — a friend
  7. last — final
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. mate — a partner
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mate — to breed
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. last — finally
  24. sharp — with an edge

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