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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. game — wild animals
  4. band — a ring
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. capital — a city
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rule — government
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. board — to get on
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. band — a music group
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. game — a match
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. board — a committee
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. rule — a law
  24. capital — money

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