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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cell — in biology
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mug — a cup
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cell — in a prison

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