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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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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: march · bass · toast · band · date · deal · hide · kick

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. date — the fruit
  4. kick — in football
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. march — the month
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. toast — bread
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. band — a music group
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. band — a ring
  22. march — music
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. deal — an agreement

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