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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: cold · band · toast · chip · rock · last · rush · march

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. march — music
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rock — a stone
  7. toast — bread
  8. last — finally
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. rock — music
  13. march — the month
  14. cold — an illness
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. cold — not warm
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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