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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. key — in music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a great time
  7. court — of a king
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cell — in biology
  10. court — for sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. last — to go on
  13. cold — not warm
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — finally
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. key — for a lock
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. key — the most important part
  20. court — of law
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. last — final
  24. ball — a dance

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