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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. staff — employees
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. staff — a stick
  13. roll — a cake
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a tool
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. roll — a list
  19. ball — a dance
  20. file — a document
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. staff — employees
  24. file — a line of people

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