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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cell — in biology
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fine — high quality
  10. last — finally
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. last — final
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. roll — a cake
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. last — to go on
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. fine — all right
  23. track — a path
  24. racket — for tennis

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