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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bass — low music
  4. chip — to eat
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chest — a box
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fall — the season
  10. bound — obliged
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bound — certain
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bound — tied together
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. march — the month
  23. fall — to drop
  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