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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · perch · mug · spell · band · kid · rush · march

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. band — a music group
  3. march — music
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mug — to rob
  7. march — the month
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. band — a ring
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kid — child
  14. spell — a short time
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mug — a face
  21. kid — to tease
  22. march — the month
  23. spell — letters
  24. mug — a cup

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