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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. season — in sport
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — to trim
  6. season — of the year
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bass — the fish
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — after costs
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fall — the season
  17. march — music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — rain
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — low 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