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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: bat · ball · march · stem · bass · pound · mug · last

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. mug — a cup
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. march — music
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bass — the fish
  12. last — to go on
  13. mug — a face
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pound — a weight
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. march — the month
  19. bat — the animal
  20. last — finally
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bass — low music
  23. last — final
  24. mug — to rob

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