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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. march — the month
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rule — government
  8. march — music
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rule — a law
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. march — the month
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kick — in football
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rush — hurry

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