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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.

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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: dip · pop · march · perch · last · bass · firm · file

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pop — music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. march — the month
  6. firm — steady
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pop — to visit
  9. last — final
  10. firm — a company
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. dip — to sink
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. firm — decided
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. march — music
  23. file — a document
  24. pop — soda

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