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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 blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. present — there
  5. craft — boats
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. track — a song
  9. craft — a skill
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. net — in sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. cell — a phone
  19. track — a path
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. present — a gift
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. present — the time now
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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