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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: bass · snap · bay · march · leaves · lie · roll · game

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. game — a match
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bass — low music
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. game — wild animals
  22. march — music
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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