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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: rock · bass · file · game · fall · march · swing · squash

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — the fish
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fall — the season
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rock — music
  8. game — wild animals
  9. march — the month
  10. file — a tool
  11. march — the month
  12. file — a line of people
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rock — a stone
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bass — low music
  17. swing — music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fall — to drop
  20. file — a document
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. march — 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