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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. game — a match
  4. pass — a permit
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. spell — magic
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. spell — letters
  10. cell — in biology
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. coach — a trainer

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