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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. stock — shares
  7. key — in music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. key — for a lock
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wax — to grow
  13. swing — in golf
  14. march — the month
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stock — goods
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. march — the month

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