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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. court — of a king
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. saw — the tool
  17. shower — rain
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. court — for sport
  21. cell — a phone
  22. shower — to wash
  23. root — the cause
  24. court — of law

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