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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 · bass · ball · row · march · squash · pop · chest

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pop — music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pop — to visit
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. row — to paddle
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. march — the month
  14. pop — soda
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chest — a box
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chest — of your body
  20. march — music
  21. bass — low music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. march — the month
  24. row — a line

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