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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cap — a hat
  3. court — of law
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. band — a music group
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. court — for sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. band — a ring
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — in sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. march — music
  16. hand — help
  17. cap — of ice
  18. season — of the year
  19. march — the month
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. march — the month

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