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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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. ball — a dance
  4. march — the month
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. stem — to come from
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wind — moving air
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pass — a permit
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. march — music

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