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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 116 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: saw · rock · last · root · march · game · hide · bass

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. game — a match
  4. rock — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bass — the fish
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. root — the cause
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. last — final
  14. root — of a plant
  15. last — to go on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bass — low music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. last — finally
  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