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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. current — happening now
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. current — electric
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rash — hasty
  16. court — of a king
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. court — of law
  20. rash — a series
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mark — a grade
  23. court — for sport
  24. current — of water

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