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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. game — wild animals
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bass — low music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. game — a match
  10. prune — to trim
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. capital — money
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bear — the animal
  20. capital — a city
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. game — a kind of play

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