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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 116 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bass — low music
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spring — of water
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bass — the fish
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. shower — rain
  10. spring — the season
  11. march — the month
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. march — the month
  23. hand — help
  24. wake — before a funeral

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