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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. net — in sport
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. shower — rain
  8. bound — certain
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. shower — to wash
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. scale — in music
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bound — tied together
  19. band — a ring
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. net — for catching
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. band — a music group
  24. net — after costs

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