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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. content — happy
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — finally
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. content — the amount
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. last — to go on
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. capital — a city
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. capital — money

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