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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. march — music
  2. net — after costs
  3. perch — the fish
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — in sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. net — for catching
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cap — of ice
  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