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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. hand — in cards
  3. charge — electricity
  4. craft — a skill
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. suit — to fit
  7. band — a ring
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. charge — a price
  10. suit — in cards
  11. band — a music group
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. craft — boats
  14. bass — low music
  15. suit — clothes
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. charge — in control
  23. hand — help
  24. bass — the instrument

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