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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. band — a ring
  3. bulb — for light
  4. drill — army training
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. band — a music group
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. swing — music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. march — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. capital — a city
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. capital — money
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bulb — of a plant

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