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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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. season — to add flavour
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bass — the fish
  6. march — music
  7. kid — to tease
  8. season — of the year
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fork — in a road
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bass — low music
  18. file — a document
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. season — in sport
  23. file — a tool
  24. kid — child

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