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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. pass — a permit
  6. rock — music
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. march — the month
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. band — a ring
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. squash — to crush
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. staff — a stick
  22. band — a music group
  23. staff — employees
  24. squash — the vegetable

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