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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. charge — in control
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. game — wild animals
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. date — the fruit
  8. row — to paddle
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. cell — in biology
  11. track — a song
  12. charge — electricity
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. row — a line
  15. ball — a dance
  16. track — a path
  17. cell — a phone
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. track — to keep track
  22. charge — a price
  23. ball — a great time
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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