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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. club — a group
  9. suit — to fit
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fall — to drop
  12. suit — in cards
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. mate — to breed
  15. present — the time now
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. suit — clothes
  19. fall — the season
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bass — low music
  24. club — for golf

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