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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ball — a great time
  6. march — the month
  7. season — in sport
  8. last — final
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. march — the month
  12. bass — the fish
  13. last — finally
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. staff — employees
  19. last — to go on
  20. bass — low music
  21. ball — a dance
  22. march — music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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