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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. march — music
  8. bass — low music
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. bass — the fish
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. present — the time now
  16. march — the month
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. dip — to sink
  19. stand — to bear
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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