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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. fork — in a road
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. march — music
  5. cell — in biology
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. scale — in music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bass — low music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rock — a stone
  19. march — the month
  20. rock — music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cell — a phone
  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