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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. club — a group
  5. pitch — completely
  6. craft — a skill
  7. band — a music group
  8. shower — to wash
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. content — happy
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. craft — boats
  18. shower — rain
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. content — the amount
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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