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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · field · club · suit · pitch · last · kid · bass

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rest — what's left
  7. field — farmland
  8. bass — low music
  9. pitch — completely
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. field — for sport
  14. suit — clothes
  15. field — a subject
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. suit — in cards
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bass — the fish
  21. last — final
  22. kid — child
  23. rest — a break
  24. kid — to tease

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