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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · mug · rest · chip · rash · racket · march · fan

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. march — music
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. rest — a break
  8. mug — to rob
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chip — to eat
  17. band — a ring
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. rash — a series
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. band — a music group

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