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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. perch — the fish
  9. band — a ring
  10. clip — to cut
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. club — for golf
  15. stand — to bear
  16. club — a group
  17. march — music
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. clip — a video
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — the month
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. march — the month
  24. clip — for paper

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