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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. charge — a price
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spell — magic
  8. charge — in control
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bass — low music
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. swing — in golf
  18. charge — electricity
  19. spell — letters
  20. march — the month
  21. spell — a short time
  22. hand — help
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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