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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · bass · rock · hand · plane · march · cabinet · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pop — music
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. rock — music
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bass — low music
  9. march — the month
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. track — a song
  12. march — music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pop — soda
  15. rock — a stone
  16. hand — in cards
  17. march — the month
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. hand — help
  21. bass — the fish
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. plane — in geometry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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