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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. pop — soda
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — to visit
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pop — music
  12. tube — a container
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. band — a ring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. march — the month
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. hand — help
  22. pitch — completely
  23. band — a music group
  24. tube — the underground

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