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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 water is too ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bank — of a river
  9. cold — an illness
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pop — soda
  12. snap — to click
  13. hand — help
  14. ball — a dance
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pop — to visit
  17. vault — a safe
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pop — music
  20. bank — for money
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bank — for money

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