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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bass — low music
  3. march — music
  4. mug — a face
  5. mate — a friend
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a tool
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. file — a document
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bank — for money
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — the month
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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