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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. firm — decided
  2. craft — a skill
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. bound — tied together
  17. craft — boats
  18. ball — a great time
  19. firm — steady
  20. bound — certain
  21. firm — a company
  22. band — a ring
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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