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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mug — to rob
  8. march — the month
  9. file — a tool
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. march — music
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. file — a document
  16. rock — music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. march — the month
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mug — a face
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. file — a line of people
  23. band — a ring
  24. calf — a young animal

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