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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. shower — to wash
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rest — a break
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. shower — rain
  8. mark — a trace
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rest — what's left
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. march — music
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bass — low music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. march — the month
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cold — the Cold War

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