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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pop — music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. game — wild animals
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. game — a match
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pop — soda
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. lie — to recline
  24. ball — a dance

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