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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ball — a dance
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. band — a music group
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. charge — a price
  8. deal — to handle
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cell — a phone
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cell — in biology
  16. clip — to cut
  17. roll — a list
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mark — a trace
  24. band — a ring

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