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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. cell — in biology
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. craft — a skill
  7. shower — rain
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. file — a document
  12. band — a music group
  13. deal — to handle
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. file — a line of people
  17. band — a ring
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. craft — boats
  21. file — a tool
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mate — a friend
  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