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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mug — to rob
  5. fine — all right
  6. march — music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. chest — a box
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mug — a cup
  11. degree — from a university
  12. band — a ring
  13. march — the month
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. degree — an amount
  17. shower — to wash
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mug — a face
  23. shower — rain
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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