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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. game — wild animals
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. march — music
  4. game — a match
  5. band — a music group
  6. march — the month
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. can — a tin
  9. band — a ring
  10. sharp — clever
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. can — a tin
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. march — the month
  19. charge — a price
  20. bat — the animal
  21. charge — in control
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. can — to be able to
  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