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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. march — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. net — after costs
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. band — a music group
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. can — to be able to
  12. net — in sport
  13. pass — a permit
  14. deal — to handle
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. net — for catching
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. row — a line
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a ring
  23. can — a tin
  24. march — the month

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