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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. race — a contest
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. charge — a price
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. charge — electricity
  14. race — the arms race
  15. charge — in control
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. race — humankind
  24. date — the fruit

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