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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — the month
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. march — the month
  7. present — a gift
  8. cue — a signal
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. band — a music group
  11. present — there
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. present — the time now
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wake — a trail
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. wound — an injury
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. march — music

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