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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 · fine · foot · bass · cabinet · race · spell · march

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. march — the month
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. spell — letters
  7. fine — all right
  8. spell — magic
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. march — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — a short time
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bass — the fish
  18. swing — in golf
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. swing — music
  21. march — the month
  22. race — a contest
  23. bass — low music
  24. race — humankind

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