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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. tube — a container
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — the month
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. march — the month
  14. net — for catching
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. net — after costs
  22. hand — in cards
  23. net — in sport
  24. plane — a tool

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