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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fall — the season
  3. bank — for money
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fall — to drop
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bank — of a river
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fall — to drop
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — to come down
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — for money
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ball — a round shape

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