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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — to visit
  5. court — of a king
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mug — a face
  8. cell — a phone
  9. charge — a price
  10. pop — soda
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. charge — in control
  13. court — of law
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pop — music
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — for sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wake — a trail

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