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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 116 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pop — to visit
  4. charge — a price
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cell — a phone
  8. track — a song
  9. pop — soda
  10. track — a path
  11. charge — electricity
  12. track — to keep track
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. charge — in control
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pop — music
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cell — in biology

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