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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. march — music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. march — the month
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. row — to paddle
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. row — a line
  14. march — the month
  15. bass — low music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. can — a tin
  19. squash — to crush
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. can — a tin
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bat — for baseball

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