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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 120 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. court — of law
  3. cold — an illness
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. object — to protest
  7. staff — employees
  8. cold — not warm
  9. court — for sport
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cap — a hat
  16. object — an aim
  17. court — of a king
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. staff — employees
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. object — a thing
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ruler — for measuring

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