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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. march — the month
  5. bass — low music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bound — tied together
  11. march — music
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. can — a tin
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bound — certain
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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