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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. march — the month
  4. prune — to trim
  5. march — the month
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pop — to visit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. march — music
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bass — low music
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — 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