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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bass — low music
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. key — the most important part
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. land — ground
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bear — the animal
  12. key — in music
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. last — to go on
  16. key — for a lock
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. pit — a hole
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pit — in a race
  23. last — finally
  24. bear — to put up with

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