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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. object — an aim
  3. root — of a word
  4. object — a thing
  5. bass — low music
  6. mark — a grade
  7. root — of a plant
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. march — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — for digging
  17. root — the cause
  18. mark — a trace
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. march — the month
  24. object — to protest

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