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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cap — of ice
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ball — a dance
  9. last — finally
  10. cap — a lid
  11. sharp — clever
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cap — a hat
  17. board — to get on
  18. charge — in control
  19. board — a committee
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. charge — electricity
  22. ball — a great time
  23. charge — a price
  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