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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. march — music
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. present — there
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. present — the time now
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bulb — for light
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. face — to point toward
  17. suit — to fit
  18. present — a gift
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. bulb — for light
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bass — low music

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