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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bass — low music
  6. present — a gift
  7. last — final
  8. suit — clothes
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. present — the time now
  12. shower — rain
  13. suit — to fit
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. last — finally
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. scale — in music
  19. present — there
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. suit — in cards
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. last — to go on
  24. kick — in football

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