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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. band — a music group
  2. ball — a great time
  3. suit — in cards
  4. march — the month
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — ground
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. band — a ring
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. march — the month
  11. season — of the year
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. land — a country
  14. march — music
  15. season — in sport
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spell — magic
  22. ball — a dance
  23. land — to come down
  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