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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mark — a trace
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ball — a great time
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mark — a grade
  14. field — farmland
  15. game — wild animals
  16. field — a subject
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fall — the season
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cold — an illness
  23. game — a match
  24. cold — not warm

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