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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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Word bank
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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: mark · mate · chest · snap · land · last · chair · bass

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. land — ground
  3. bass — low music
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. land — to come down
  7. chest — a box
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. last — to go on
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mate — a partner
  19. land — a country
  20. mate — a friend
  21. last — final
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chest — of your body

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