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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a ring
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wound — an injury
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wound — an injury
  11. can — a tin
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. hand — help
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. band — a music group
  18. stand — to bear
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ball — a dance
  23. firm — decided
  24. can — a tin

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