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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · mouse · march · kid · fall · stick · hide · ball

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. march — the month
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a great time
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bass — low music
  9. kid — child
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. march — music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fall — the season

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