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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. court — for sport
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spell — magic
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pass — a permit
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. spell — a short time
  13. toast — bread
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bat — the animal
  17. spell — letters
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. hand — in cards
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. hand — help
  24. rock — music

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