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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cell — in biology
  5. march — music
  6. craft — a skill
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — a break
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rest — what's left
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. spell — magic
  15. march — the month
  16. band — a ring
  17. spell — letters
  18. band — a music group
  19. rest — what's left
  20. march — the month
  21. spell — a short time
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mine — for digging

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