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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rock — a stone
  3. spring — of water
  4. season — in sport
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. fine — high quality
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — the season
  11. mug — a cup
  12. march — music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rock — music
  15. season — of the year
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. band — a ring
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fine — all right
  22. march — the month
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bowl — to roll

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