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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rest — a break
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rest — what's left
  8. last — finally
  9. land — a country
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. land — ground
  12. shower — rain
  13. last — to go on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. face — to confront
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. last — final
  21. bound — certain
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bound — tied together
  24. land — to come down

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