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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — of your body
  4. swing — music
  5. drill — the tool
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. march — music
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chest — a box
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bank — for money
  18. bass — low music
  19. bank — for money
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cap — of ice
  22. chest — of your body
  23. drill — army training
  24. fine — all right

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