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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · perch · date · pitcher · band · object · race · fine

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. band — a music group
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. date — the fruit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. race — a contest
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — to protest
  20. craft — a skill
  21. race — humankind
  22. craft — boats
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. race — the arms race

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