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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bound — tied together
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bound — certain
  8. band — a music group
  9. squash — to crush
  10. band — a ring
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bound — obliged
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. march — music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  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