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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. bass — low music
  2. fine — all right
  3. track — to keep track
  4. chest — of your body
  5. march — the month
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. deal — to handle
  8. fine — high quality
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. track — a path
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. track — a song
  16. march — the month
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. march — music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. mark — a grade
  23. deal — a big deal
  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