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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. spring — of water
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. club — for golf
  6. bass — low music
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. mark — a grade
  10. ball — a great time
  11. march — the month
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. spring — a coil
  17. hand — help
  18. last — final
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — the season
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. march — music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. mark — a trace

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