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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — in football
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bark — to shout
  19. march — music
  20. bass — low music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mate — to breed
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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