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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. file — a line of people
  3. march — music
  4. file — a document
  5. ball — a dance
  6. march — the month
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. swing — music
  11. dip — to sink
  12. swing — in golf
  13. march — the month
  14. swing — to play on
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. band — a music group
  18. bass — the fish
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bass — low music
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. file — a tool

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