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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. march — the month
  5. mine — for digging
  6. march — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. march — the month
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — soda
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bass — low music
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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