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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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. bass — low music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wound — an injury
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bass — the fish
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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