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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. band — a ring
  3. march — music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. current — happening now
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a music group
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rush — hurry
  16. game — wild animals
  17. plane — a tool
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. game — a match

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