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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mark — a grade
  3. staff — employees
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. staff — a stick
  8. pass — a permit
  9. charge — a price
  10. craft — a skill
  11. charge — in control
  12. game — a match
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mark — a trace
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. charge — electricity
  20. staff — employees
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ball — a great time
  24. craft — boats

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