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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ball — a dance
  5. perch — the fish
  6. firm — a company
  7. cell — a phone
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bat — the animal
  12. firm — steady
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. firm — decided
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rash — hasty
  18. ground — a position
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rash — a series
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. ball — a great time

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