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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pass — a permit
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. spell — letters
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. ball — a great time
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. spell — magic
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mouse — for a computer

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