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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. march — the month
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bass — the fish
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. present — the time now
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. march — the month
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bass — low music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. ball — a great time
  18. march — music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. present — there
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tube — a container
  24. present — a gift

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