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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: trunk · march · spell · bowl · sharp · bass · press · bay

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. march — the month
  4. spell — magic
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. sharp — clever
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bass — low music
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. march — the month
  11. spell — a short time
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bass — the fish
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. march — music
  19. spell — letters
  20. press — to push
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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