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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rule — a law
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. kid — child
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. kid — to tease
  24. chair — a leader

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