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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. net — after costs
  3. object — an aim
  4. band — a music group
  5. wound — an injury
  6. drill — army training
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — to protest
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ball — a dance
  14. net — in sport
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. net — for catching
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ball — a great time

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