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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. court — of a king
  3. march — music
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. spring — the season
  6. roll — a cake
  7. spring — of water
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. roll — a list
  12. court — for sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. court — of law
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. spring — a coil
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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