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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. land — a country
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. suit — to fit
  5. march — music
  6. band — a music group
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitch — completely
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — music
  13. mark — a grade
  14. band — a ring
  15. suit — in cards
  16. ball — a great time
  17. suit — clothes
  18. march — the month
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mark — a trace
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pitch — a sports field

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