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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pop — music
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. march — music
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rock — music
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. kick — in football
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bass — low music
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — soda
  20. march — the month
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wake — a trail

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