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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. present — there
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pit — a hole
  5. court — of law
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pit — in a race
  8. court — for sport
  9. drill — a practice
  10. present — the time now
  11. bass — low music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. drill — army training
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cell — a phone
  19. present — a gift
  20. cell — in biology
  21. court — of a king
  22. bound — certain
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. drill — the tool

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