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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. band — a ring
  5. march — music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kid — child
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. march — the month
  10. can — a tin
  11. pass — a permit
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. kid — to tease
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. scale — in music
  18. can — a tin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. band — a music group

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