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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. swing — music
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stand — to bear
  8. swing — in golf
  9. march — the month
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hand — in cards
  12. band — a ring
  13. can — a tin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fall — the season
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cue — for pool
  21. hand — help
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. march — music
  24. band — a music group

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