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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. spell — magic
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. net — after costs
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. net — for catching
  20. ball — a dance
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. net — in sport
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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