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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: bass · fan · mark · sharp · march · bay · rash · game

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. march — music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mark — a trace
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rash — hasty
  18. march — the month
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rash — a series

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