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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. face — to confront
  4. ball — a dance
  5. staff — a stick
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. club — for golf
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. perch — the fish
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cell — in biology
  13. band — a music group
  14. staff — employees
  15. band — a ring
  16. face — to point toward
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. club — for dancing
  20. staff — employees
  21. club — a group
  22. face — part of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. perch — for a bird

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