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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 120 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. march — music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. march — the month
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. band — a ring
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — for light
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. staff — employees
  24. drill — the tool

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