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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. march — the month
  4. fine — high quality
  5. march — the month
  6. rock — music
  7. fine — all right
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. object — an aim
  11. band — a music group
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rock — a stone
  20. season — of the year
  21. saw — the tool
  22. band — a ring
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. march — music

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