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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 124 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ground — crushed
  3. last — finally
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bass — low music
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. last — to go on
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bear — the animal
  17. capital — money
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — a city
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bass — the fish

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