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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mug — a face
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. band — a ring
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. march — the month
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. band — a music group
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — music
  21. season — in sport
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mug — to rob

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