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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. march — the month
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pop — soda
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. band — a music group
  8. bound — obliged
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. band — a ring
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pop — music
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pop — to visit
  20. march — music
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bound — certain

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