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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 · mate · march · racket · bark · craft · kid · pass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bass — low music
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. march — the month
  8. mate — to breed
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mate — a friend
  11. craft — boats
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mate — a partner
  14. kid — child
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. march — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. march — the month
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pass — to succeed

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