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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: safe · craft · can · wake · march · game · bay · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. march — music
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. can — to be able to
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. wake — a trail
  9. march — the month
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — the month
  15. can — a tin
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bass — the fish
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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