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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bat — the animal
  5. board — to get on
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pit — in a race
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. band — a ring
  15. march — the month
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. row — a line
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. pit — a hole
  24. band — a music group

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