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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. spell — a short time
  5. band — a music group
  6. march — the month
  7. last — finally
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. season — of the year
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spell — magic
  12. march — the month
  13. last — to go on
  14. march — music
  15. band — a ring
  16. spell — letters
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. last — final
  19. stand — to bear
  20. season — in sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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