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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. spell — magic
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. spell — letters
  8. bound — certain
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cell — in biology
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. snap — to click
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. can — a tin
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. can — a tin
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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