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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — the sport
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rule — government
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. march — music
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. game — wild animals
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rule — a law
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pop — soda
  18. game — a match
  19. bass — low music
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pop — music
  24. bass — the fish

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