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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. race — a contest
  8. spell — letters
  9. race — the arms race
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. race — humankind
  12. spell — magic
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fine — all right
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. toast — bread
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ball — a dance

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