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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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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 · ball · hand · march · can · safe · last · pop

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ball — a dance
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. last — finally
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pop — soda
  8. ball — a great time
  9. last — to go on
  10. march — the month
  11. can — a tin
  12. march — music
  13. bass — low music
  14. hand — help
  15. last — final
  16. pop — music
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. can — to be able to
  24. march — the month

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