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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. chest — a box
  4. net — in sport
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. chest — of your body
  9. court — of a king
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. net — for catching
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wake — a trail
  14. net — after costs
  15. band — a music group
  16. chest — of your body
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. band — a ring
  20. court — for sport
  21. march — the month
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. court — of law
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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