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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cell — a phone
  3. branch — a division
  4. chest — of your body
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ground — a position
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. chest — of your body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cell — in biology
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. shower — to wash
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chest — a box
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. shower — rain
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. safe — out of danger

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