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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. ball — a dance
  3. face — to point toward
  4. ball — a great time
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — to crush
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. mug — a face
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. tube — a container
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mug — a cup
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. mug — to rob
  24. band — a ring

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