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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — a gift
  4. pit — a hole
  5. craft — a skill
  6. march — music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. craft — boats
  10. firm — steady
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. march — the month
  13. firm — decided
  14. march — the month
  15. present — there
  16. band — a ring
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. firm — a company
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. present — the time now
  23. band — a music group
  24. pit — in a race

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