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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bass — low music
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bank — for money
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. march — music
  10. season — in sport
  11. bank — of a river
  12. present — there
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bass — the fish
  15. present — a gift
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bank — for money
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — the time now

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