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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. kid — child
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cue — a hint
  10. march — the month
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. degree — temperature
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. kid — to tease
  18. degree — an amount
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bass — low music
  22. cap — a lid
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cue — a signal

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