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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 124 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. band — a music group
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rush — hurry
  5. band — a ring
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mug — a cup
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a skill
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mug — a face
  21. hand — help
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pitcher — a jug

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