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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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. pound — for dogs
  4. ball — a great time
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. press — to push
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ball — a dance
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pound — a weight
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cell — in a prison

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