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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 116 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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. march — the month
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pop — music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bass — low music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. hand — help
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pop — soda
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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