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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ball — a great time
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. sharp — clever
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. file — a document
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a tool
  17. cell — a phone
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. key — for a lock
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fine — all right
  23. file — a line of people
  24. nail — on a finger

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