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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mate — to breed
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. ball — a dance
  7. race — a contest
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. race — the arms race
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bound — obliged
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. ball — a great time
  23. race — humankind
  24. ball — a round shape

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