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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: swing · object · cold · march · last · mark · bass · leaves

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mark — a trace
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. last — to go on
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. march — the month
  11. object — an aim
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. swing — music
  16. march — music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. object — a thing
  19. last — final
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. march — the month
  22. object — to protest
  23. swing — to play on
  24. last — finally

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