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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. march — music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a ring
  13. land — ground
  14. march — the month
  15. craft — boats
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a cup
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. land — to come down
  22. band — a music group
  23. kid — child
  24. land — a country

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