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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. swing — music
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bound — obliged
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bass — the fish
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bound — tied together
  21. degree — an amount
  22. march — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bound — certain

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