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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. key — in music
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pass — a permit
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stock — shares
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cell — in biology
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. key — the most important part
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cell — a phone
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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