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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bass — low music
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. march — the month
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. season — in sport
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. season — of the year
  24. bass — the fish

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