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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cell — in biology
  6. suit — in cards
  7. net — in sport
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — for catching
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. rule — a law
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rule — government
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. net — after costs
  24. rash — a series

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