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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. track — a song
  3. band — a ring
  4. bore — to tire
  5. track — to keep track
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. march — the month
  11. track — a path
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. band — a music group
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bore — to drill
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. capital — money
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. capital — a city
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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