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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.

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: pop · present · stick · bass · squash · march · clip · roll

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. clip — a video
  4. pop — music
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pop — to visit
  7. clip — for paper
  8. squash — the sport
  9. present — a gift
  10. bass — low music
  11. squash — to crush
  12. march — music
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. clip — to cut
  15. roll — a cake
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pop — soda
  24. roll — a list

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