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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hand — in cards
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. craft — boats
  9. band — a ring
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cell — a phone
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. band — a music group
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cell — in biology
  23. hand — help
  24. craft — a handicraft

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