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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. craft — boats
  6. clip — a video
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rest — what's left
  11. clip — to cut
  12. roll — a list
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rest — what's left
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. roll — a cake
  18. clip — for paper
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rest — a break
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wake — before a funeral

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