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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. date — the fruit
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. march — music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bass — the fish
  9. roll — a list
  10. key — the most important part
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. roll — a cake
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. march — the month
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. key — for a lock
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. key — in music
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. march — the month
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. roll — on a roll

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