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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. march — the month
  3. rest — what's left
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ball — a dance
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. march — the month
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ball — a great time
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cap — a hat
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rest — a break
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rest — what's left
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bass — low music
  24. march — music

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