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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. spell — magic
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — a short time
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. game — a match
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. club — for golf
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cell — in biology
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — letters
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. club — a group
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. saw — the tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. club — for dancing

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