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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bass — low music
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rock — a stone
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chest — a box
  10. cue — a signal
  11. march — the month
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cue — a hint
  14. kick — in football
  15. march — music
  16. lie — to recline
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. band — a ring
  20. cue — for pool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bass — the fish
  23. march — the month
  24. kick — a thrill

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