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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. court — of a king
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. chip — to eat
  9. craft — boats
  10. pit — in a race
  11. court — for sport
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. craft — a skill
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. court — of law
  16. pit — a hole
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a ring
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. band — a music group
  24. bat — for baseball

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