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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 116 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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rock — a stone
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. charge — electricity
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. band — a ring
  8. rock — music
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. content — happy
  12. craft — a skill
  13. charge — in control
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. content — the amount
  18. band — a music group
  19. charge — a price
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. craft — boats
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bat — the animal

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