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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. tube — the underground
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. charge — a price
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bass — low music
  8. drill — army training
  9. lie — to recline
  10. march — music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. march — the month
  13. chair — a leader
  14. charge — electricity
  15. ball — a dance
  16. drill — a practice
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — the fish
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. tube — a container
  22. march — the month
  23. charge — in control
  24. bass — the instrument

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