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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: bat · court · bass · firm · present · march · wake · drill

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. present — a gift
  3. drill — army training
  4. present — the time now
  5. firm — decided
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bat — the animal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. firm — steady
  10. court — for sport
  11. march — music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. present — there
  14. drill — a practice
  15. march — the month
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — a company
  20. bass — low music
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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