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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. season — in sport
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. branch — a division
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mark — a trace
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. season — of the year
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bass — low music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rest — a break
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. branch — of a bank

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