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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · rock · march · fine · fan · roll · pass · hand

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rock — music
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. roll — a list
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. hand — help
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. hand — in cards
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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