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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: band · net · hide · fine · rock · scale · hand · march

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. band — a ring
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. scale — size or range
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fine — all right
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. scale — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — help
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. net — after costs
  23. band — a music group
  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