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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kid — child
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kid — to tease
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wound — an injury

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