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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.

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: march · game · date · bass · kick · press · present · wake

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — the fish
  5. date — the fruit
  6. game — wild animals
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — low music
  9. game — a match
  10. wake — a trail
  11. press — newspapers
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kick — in football
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. present — a gift
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. present — there
  20. press — to push
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. present — the time now
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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