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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. club — for dancing
  5. march — the month
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. club — a group
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. toast — bread
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. row — to paddle
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. march — music
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. club — for golf
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — the month

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