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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chest — of your body
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. march — the month
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. club — for dancing
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. sharp — clever
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chest — a box
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. band — a music group
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. march — music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chest — of your body
  20. season — in sport
  21. march — the month
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. band — a ring

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