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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. band — a music group
  2. mate — a partner
  3. content — the amount
  4. march — music
  5. rush — hurry
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mate — a friend
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mate — to breed
  23. content — happy
  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