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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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. ball — a dance
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. ground — a position
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bound — certain
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fine — all right
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ball — a great time
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bound — tied together

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