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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. scale — in music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. date — the fruit
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rock — a stone
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. march — the month
  11. bass — low music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rock — music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mate — a friend
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. mate — to breed

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