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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. plane — a tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pit — in a race
  15. game — wild animals
  16. march — the month
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. game — a match
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. march — the month

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