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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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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: ball · chip · bear · cabinet · spell · track · band · net

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. track — to keep track
  3. chip — for betting
  4. band — a music group
  5. track — a path
  6. net — after costs
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. net — for catching
  13. track — a song
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. net — in sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ball — a dance
  21. spell — magic
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bear — to put up with

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