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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. band — a music group
  3. suit — to fit
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. club — for golf
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. deal — to handle
  9. spell — magic
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. march — the month
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. spell — letters
  16. march — music
  17. face — to point toward
  18. kick — in football
  19. band — a ring
  20. spell — a short time
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. march — the month
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. club — a group

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