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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pop — music
  5. mate — a partner
  6. march — the month
  7. can — a tin
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. can — a tin
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pop — soda
  14. row — a line
  15. march — music
  16. bass — low music
  17. track — to keep track
  18. roll — a list
  19. mate — a friend
  20. march — the month
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pop — to visit
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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