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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rule — a law
  3. march — the month
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. deal — to handle
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. march — music
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. march — the month
  19. band — a music group
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rule — government
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. game — a match

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