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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bass — low music
  3. last — to go on
  4. craft — boats
  5. root — of a plant
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. root — of a word
  9. march — the month
  10. present — the time now
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. last — finally
  13. present — a gift
  14. snap — to click
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. present — there
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. root — the cause
  20. bass — the fish
  21. craft — a skill
  22. march — music
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. last — final

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