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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: shower · band · safe · rush · deal · roll · march · key

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. shower — rain
  2. rush — hurry
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. band — a music group
  7. key — the most important part
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. key — in music
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. roll — a list
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. roll — a cake
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. march — the month
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. band — a ring
  20. shower — to wash
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. key — for a lock
  23. march — the month
  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