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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. toast — bread
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. saw — the tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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