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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cap — a hat
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. band — a ring
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bank — of a river
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bank — for money
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. season — in sport
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. plane — a tool
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cap — of ice
  23. band — a music group
  24. bank — for money

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