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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pop — music
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. chair — a leader
  6. drill — army training
  7. branch — a division
  8. club — for dancing
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. club — a group
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a music group
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pop — to visit
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pop — soda
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. drill — a practice
  23. club — for golf
  24. ball — a great time

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