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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fall — the season
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. sharp — exactly

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