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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: swing · land · row · march · object · fork · bass · pitcher

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. land — to come down
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. row — a line
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. object — a thing
  12. swing — music
  13. object — to protest
  14. fork — in a road
  15. object — an aim
  16. bass — low music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. land — a country
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. land — ground
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pitcher — a jug

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