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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. drill — the tool
  3. march — music
  4. cue — a signal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. march — the month
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — what's left
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rest — a break
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rest — what's left
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. band — a ring
  19. cue — a hint
  20. drill — army training
  21. cue — for pool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. racket — for tennis

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