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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. cell — in biology
  9. clip — a video
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. season — in sport
  17. craft — a skill
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. craft — boats
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. kid — to tease
  23. season — of the year
  24. band — a ring

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