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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. chest — a box
  5. band — a ring
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chest — of your body
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chest — of your body
  18. game — wild animals
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. march — music
  23. toast — bread
  24. nail — for a hammer

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