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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bass — low music
  3. lie — to recline
  4. plane — a tool
  5. last — final
  6. season — of the year
  7. last — to go on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — farmland
  10. season — in sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. field — for sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. field — a subject
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. saw — the tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bass — the fish
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. last — finally

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