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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. ball — a dance
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. march — the month
  8. last — to go on
  9. current — happening now
  10. can — to be able to
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. march — the month
  14. current — electric
  15. march — music
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. last — finally
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. last — final
  21. current — of water
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. band — a rubber band

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