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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. march — music
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. swing — music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. file — a document
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. present — a gift
  11. march — the month
  12. file — a line of people
  13. season — in sport
  14. present — the time now
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. present — there
  17. march — the month
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a tool
  21. bass — low music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — the fish
  24. swing — to play on

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