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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: nail · chair · rush · stick · bass · can · fork · march

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. march — music
  3. bass — low music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fork — in a road
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bass — the fish
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rush — hurry
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. can — a tin
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. can — a tin

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