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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. suit — in cards
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. march — music
  7. dip — to sink
  8. suit — to fit
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bass — the fish
  11. court — of a king
  12. march — the month
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lean — thin
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. row — a line
  22. staff — employees
  23. suit — clothes
  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