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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: land · band · racket · mate · suit · jam · march · kid

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. band — a ring
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. land — ground
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. land — to come down
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. kid — to tease
  10. march — music
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. mate — a partner
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — child
  15. suit — clothes
  16. band — a music group
  17. march — the month
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — a country
  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