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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: board · bear · toast · pop · ball · rush · craft · cell

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pop — to visit
  5. craft — boats
  6. board — a committee
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. board — to get on
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cell — a phone
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. toast — bread
  20. bear — the animal
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pop — soda
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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