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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. march — the month
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bank — for money
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kick — in football
  15. court — for sport
  16. bank — of a river
  17. march — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bass — the fish
  21. court — of law
  22. bank — for money
  23. march — the month
  24. court — of a king

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