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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. march — music
  5. net — after costs
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bass — low music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bass — the fish
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mine — for digging
  19. band — a ring
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. suit — to fit

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