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

Word bank: cell · band · fine · stick · pit · march · lie · arm

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. band — a music group
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. march — music
  12. fine — high quality
  13. march — the month
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. band — a ring
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. march — the month
  22. pit — a hole
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cell — in a prison

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