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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. court — of a king
  4. object — to protest
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. object — a thing
  7. last — to go on
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. last — final
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ball — a dance
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. object — an aim
  21. ball — a great time
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. last — finally

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