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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. fall — the season
  4. bass — low music
  5. march — the month
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bass — the fish
  13. present — the time now
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. pass — a permit
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fall — to drop
  19. present — a gift
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. present — there
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fall — to drop

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