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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — music
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. charge — in control
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. march — the month
  8. file — a tool
  9. march — the month
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. band — a ring
  15. bark — to shout
  16. file — a line of people
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. band — a music group
  20. file — a document
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. charge — electricity
  23. kick — in football
  24. charge — a price

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