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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. land — a country
  3. rock — a stone
  4. court — for sport
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. march — music
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. land — ground
  16. date — the fruit
  17. court — of law
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. land — to come down
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bass — low music
  23. rock — music
  24. court — of a king

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