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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. band — a music group
  3. scale — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. mate — a partner
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. march — the month
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mark — a grade
  10. scale — size or range
  11. band — a ring
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rule — a law
  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