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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. club — for golf
  5. cell — in biology
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. march — music
  9. club — for dancing
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. spring — of water
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. club — a group
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. spring — the season

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