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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. court — of law
  3. present — there
  4. craft — boats
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. band — a music group
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. court — for sport
  9. bank — for money
  10. craft — a skill
  11. band — a ring
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bank — for money
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. present — a gift
  18. court — of a king
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. chair — a leader
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. present — the time now

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