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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ball — a great time
  4. craft — a skill
  5. present — there
  6. band — a music group
  7. net — after costs
  8. stand — to bear
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. present — the time now
  12. net — in sport
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. band — a ring
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. net — for catching
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. dip — to sink
  23. craft — boats
  24. content — the amount

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