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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cell — a phone
  3. spring — the season
  4. can — a tin
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cell — in biology
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cap — a lid
  13. spring — of water
  14. fine — all right
  15. cap — a hat
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rule — government
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rule — a law
  20. can — a tin
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cue — for pool

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