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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mine — for digging
  4. object — an aim
  5. firm — a company
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. firm — steady
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. content — happy
  16. firm — decided
  17. staff — employees
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. content — the amount
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. staff — employees
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ball — a dance

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