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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 124 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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cell — a phone
  5. can — a tin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. game — a match
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spell — magic
  11. track — to keep track
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. track — a path
  14. roll — a cake
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. spell — letters
  19. track — a song
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chest — a box
  23. game — wild animals
  24. roll — a list

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