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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 120 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. craft — boats
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. present — there
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spell — letters
  15. present — the time now
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. band — a music group
  19. present — a gift
  20. craft — a skill
  21. spell — magic
  22. net — after costs
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. band — a ring

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