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

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bear — the animal
  3. land — ground
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bear — the animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. craft — boats
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. firm — decided
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — a company
  19. cell — in biology
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. land — a country
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cell — a phone

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