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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spell — a short time
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spell — magic
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bass — low music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. spell — letters
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mine — belonging to me

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