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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. net — in sport
  4. craft — boats
  5. charge — electricity
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. squash — the sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. charge — a price
  17. net — after costs
  18. craft — a skill
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. band — a ring
  23. kid — child
  24. charge — in control

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