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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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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. court — for sport
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mate — to breed
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mate — a partner
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cell — a phone
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. court — of a king
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bass — the instrument

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