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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. march — the month
  7. band — a ring
  8. rest — what's left
  9. march — music
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rock — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. march — the month
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pass — a permit
  22. rock — a stone
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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