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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. squash — to crush
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. object — a thing
  6. band — a ring
  7. kid — child
  8. march — the month
  9. object — to protest
  10. march — the month
  11. court — of law
  12. fine — all right
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fine — high quality
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. court — for sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. band — a music group
  19. object — an aim
  20. squash — the sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. fine — a penalty

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