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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.

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: march · can · mark · bear · calf · deal · bass · kid

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. can — a tin
  9. mark — a trace
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. march — the month
  19. can — a tin
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bear — the animal
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bass — low music

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