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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 120 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: court · bass · bay · band · march · cabinet · pit · swing

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. march — music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. court — for sport
  7. swing — in golf
  8. court — of a king
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pit — a hole
  13. march — the month
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bass — the fish
  16. swing — music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. swing — to play on
  19. band — a music group
  20. bass — low music
  21. march — the month
  22. pit — in a race
  23. band — a ring
  24. court — of law

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