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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — a series
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rash — hasty
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. march — music
  10. band — a ring
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rock — music
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. band — a music group
  18. root — of a word
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bass — low music
  21. snap — to click
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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