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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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 ring
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pass — a permit
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. roll — a list
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. band — a music group
  11. roll — a cake
  12. last — final
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. last — finally
  15. spell — letters
  16. rock — music
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. spell — magic
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ball — a great time
  23. last — to go on
  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