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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. object — to protest
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. prune — to trim
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. march — the month
  10. pass — a permit
  11. object — an aim
  12. current — electric
  13. march — the month
  14. current — of water
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. band — a music group
  17. object — a thing
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. current — happening now
  21. kid — child
  22. prune — to trim
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. band — a ring

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