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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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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: wake · rule · bass · deal · march · rash · ground · saw

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. march — the month
  3. ground — the earth
  4. march — music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rash — hasty
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rash — a series
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. march — the month
  18. bass — low music
  19. ground — a position
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bass — the instrument

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