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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. march — music
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. band — a ring
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. net — for catching
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. march — the month
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. march — the month
  21. net — in sport
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. net — after costs
  24. stand — on your feet

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