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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spell — a short time
  3. march — the month
  4. band — a music group
  5. bass — the fish
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. deal — to handle
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. spell — magic
  11. bass — low music
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. spell — letters
  21. tube — a container
  22. court — of law
  23. march — music
  24. band — a ring

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