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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bass — the fish
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a ring
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. band — a music group
  15. can — a tin
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. march — the month
  21. can — a tin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bass — low music
  24. pass — to succeed

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