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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: bass · game · branch · last · ground · field · mate · suit

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mate — a partner
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bass — low music
  9. suit — clothes
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ground — a position
  13. last — finally
  14. game — a match
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bass — the fish
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mate — to breed
  20. last — to go on
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. suit — to fit
  24. field — a subject

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