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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wake — a trail
  3. track — to keep track
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. track — a path
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bass — low music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. last — finally
  16. wind — moving air
  17. press — to push
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. last — to go on
  22. club — for golf
  23. track — a song
  24. bass — the instrument

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