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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stand — to bear
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bound — obliged
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bound — certain
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. drill — army training
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. drill — a practice
  20. root — of a word
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bound — tied together
  24. craft — a handicraft

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