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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. season — of the year
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. season — in sport
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. present — there
  10. net — after costs
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. band — a music group
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mark — a trace

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