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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — a stick
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. kick — in football
  7. pop — music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cell — in biology
  12. hand — help
  13. mark — a grade
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. staff — employees
  16. deal — to handle
  17. staff — employees
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pop — soda
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. mark — a trace

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