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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pitch — completely
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. march — the month
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hide — to keep secret

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