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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. rule — government
  7. branch — a division
  8. track — a path
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mate — to breed
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rule — a law
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mate — a partner
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. track — a song
  24. cell — in biology

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