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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bound — tied together
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. court — of law
  5. ball — a dance
  6. swing — music
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bound — certain
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. swing — in golf
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ball — a great time
  14. court — for sport
  15. roll — a list
  16. drill — the tool
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. drill — army training
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. swing — to play on
  21. court — of a king
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. hide — to keep secret

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