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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cell — a phone
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. kid — to tease
  10. capital — a city
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. capital — money
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cell — in biology
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. sharp — clever
  22. kid — child
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cell — in a prison

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