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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. march — the month
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rock — music
  9. can — to be able to
  10. march — the month
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. march — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. mark — a grade

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