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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. court — of a king
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. court — of law
  6. band — a ring
  7. land — a country
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. land — ground
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. rash — hasty
  15. band — a music group
  16. cell — a phone
  17. court — for sport
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rash — a series
  23. land — to come down
  24. cell — in biology

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