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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 120 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pop — music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pop — soda
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. court — for sport
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. march — the month
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. court — of a king
  17. bass — low music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. court — of law
  20. plane — a tool
  21. suit — clothes
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bass — the fish
  24. march — the month

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