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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. net — for catching
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. net — after costs
  5. club — for dancing
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. net — in sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. firm — decided
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. club — for golf
  14. band — a ring
  15. game — wild animals
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — a company
  18. band — a music group
  19. club — a group
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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