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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pop — to visit
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. craft — a skill
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. band — a music group
  7. march — the month
  8. band — a ring
  9. hand — help
  10. pop — soda
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. game — a match
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pop — music
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. march — music
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. craft — boats
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. march — the month
  24. hand — in cards

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