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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. key — in music
  3. craft — boats
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. key — for a lock
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. season — in sport
  8. shower — to wash
  9. board — a committee
  10. spell — magic
  11. season — of the year
  12. land — ground
  13. shower — rain
  14. band — a ring
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spell — letters
  17. board — to get on
  18. land — to come down
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. craft — a skill
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — a short time
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. key — the most important part

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