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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cell — a phone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ball — a great time
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. game — wild animals
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. suit — clothes
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. squash — the sport
  17. track — a song
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cell — in biology
  20. track — a path
  21. squash — to crush
  22. game — a match
  23. cap — a hat
  24. track — to keep track

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