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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.

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: bass · pitcher · straw · season · march · spell · saw · ball

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ball — a great time
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. spell — letters
  6. march — the month
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. march — music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. season — of the year
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spell — magic
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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