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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. game — a match
  4. rash — a series
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cap — a hat
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. firm — a company
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fork — in a road
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. game — wild animals
  18. firm — decided
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cap — of ice
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. firm — steady

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