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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. scale — in music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. present — there
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. spring — a coil
  11. squash — the sport
  12. scale — size or range
  13. present — a gift
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. spring — of water
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — the season
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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