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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. court — for sport
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. mark — a trace
  10. suit — clothes
  11. mark — a grade
  12. court — of law
  13. ball — a dance
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. court — of a king
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cell — in biology
  18. ball — a great time

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