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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cell — a phone
  9. perch — the fish
  10. suit — clothes
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rest — a break
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chest — a box
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — in cards
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. hand — help
  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