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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. spell — letters
  3. race — the arms race
  4. staff — employees
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. spell — magic
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. staff — employees
  13. rush — hurry
  14. race — humankind
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spell — a short time
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cell — in biology
  20. race — a contest
  21. scale — size or range
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. scale — in music
  24. jam — in traffic

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