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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. drill — a practice
  3. staff — employees
  4. mate — a friend
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — of a king
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mate — a partner
  13. court — of law
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rush — hurry
  18. drill — army training
  19. court — for sport
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. deal — a big deal

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