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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mate — a partner
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — low music
  5. march — the month
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. march — music
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mate — a friend
  17. band — a music group
  18. bass — the fish
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mate — to breed
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — the bottom

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