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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. swing — music
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mate — a friend
  6. kid — child
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cell — in biology
  9. board — to get on
  10. pop — soda
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. tube — a container
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. swing — in golf
  17. board — a committee
  18. mate — a partner
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pop — music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pop — to visit

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