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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. band — a ring
  6. fine — all right
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. club — for golf
  9. roll — a list
  10. fine — high quality
  11. face — part of the head
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — in cards
  14. march — music
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. band — a music group
  20. roll — a cake
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. nail — for a hammer

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