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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bass — the fish
  3. march — music
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. march — the month
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bear — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. land — to come down
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pitcher — a jug

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