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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. march — music
  3. mark — a grade
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mark — a trace
  6. season — in sport
  7. swing — music
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bass — the fish
  13. swing — to play on
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wound — an injury
  22. march — the month
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mark — to pay attention

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