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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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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 · temple · scale · chair · march · rule · drill · kick

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. band — a ring
  3. chair — a leader
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rule — government
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. march — music
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. drill — a practice
  15. band — a music group
  16. drill — the tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. march — the month
  19. kick — in football
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. drill — army training
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. march — the month

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