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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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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 · fan · march · bay · cap · chest · rule · can

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. chest — a box
  3. rule — a law
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. band — a music group
  9. chest — of your body
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. band — a ring
  15. can — a tin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rule — government
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. march — music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. can — a tin

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