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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ball — a dance
  4. cue — for pool
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cell — in biology
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. snap — to click
  14. bound — certain
  15. bat — the animal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. saw — the tool
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cue — a hint

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