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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. march — the month
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. suit — to fit
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lean — to bend
  10. plane — a tool
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fine — all right
  15. lean — thin
  16. band — a ring
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. suit — clothes
  21. band — a music group
  22. mine — for digging
  23. suit — in cards
  24. band — a rubber band

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