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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chest — a box
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. band — a ring
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. foot — a measure
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chest — of your body
  24. foot — the bottom

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