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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. net — in sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. sharp — clever
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bass — the fish
  16. net — for catching
  17. march — the month
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. face — to confront
  23. march — the month
  24. net — after costs

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