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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. chip — to eat
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fine — all right
  9. kid — to tease
  10. spring — of water
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spring — the season
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. spring — a coil
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. kid — child
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — high quality
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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