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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. march — the month
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — a series
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bass — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rule — a law
  17. march — the month
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bass — low music
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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