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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. bass — low music
  5. fall — the season
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pop — soda
  8. mark — a grade
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mark — a trace
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. club — a group
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bass — the fish
  20. club — for golf
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pop — music
  24. fall — to drop

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