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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. capital — a city
  8. present — the time now
  9. capital — money
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fall — the season
  16. bass — low music
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. foot — a measure
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — a gift
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. present — there
  24. foot — part of the body

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