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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. craft — boats
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fall — to drop
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pitch — completely
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. fall — the season
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. craft — a skill
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. key — in music
  23. band — a music group
  24. wind — moving air

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