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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. last — final
  5. hand — help
  6. last — to go on
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bass — the fish
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wake — a trail
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. march — the month
  21. row — a line
  22. bass — low music
  23. last — finally
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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