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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wake — a trail
  3. band — a ring
  4. land — a country
  5. court — of law
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. sharp — clever
  10. band — a music group
  11. court — for sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — of a king
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pit — in a race
  16. land — to come down
  17. pit — a hole
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. land — ground
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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