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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rock — a stone
  3. march — music
  4. court — of a king
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rock — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. charge — in control
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. court — for sport
  11. charge — a price
  12. court — of law
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. march — the month
  17. band — a music group
  18. march — the month

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