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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. kick — in football
  6. squash — the sport
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. ball — a great time
  15. squash — to crush
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cell — a phone

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