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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — the month
  3. band — a ring
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rule — government
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rule — a law
  8. spell — a short time
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. spell — letters
  12. band — a music group
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. press — a publisher
  15. march — music
  16. date — the fruit
  17. press — to push
  18. march — the month
  19. press — newspapers
  20. spell — magic
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. temple — side of the head

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