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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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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: ball · bass · march · face · bore · cue · club · spell

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bore — to tire
  5. face — part of the head
  6. march — the month
  7. club — for golf
  8. face — to confront
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. march — the month
  11. spell — letters
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spell — magic
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bass — low music
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. march — music
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cue — a hint
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ball — a great time

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