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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. club — for golf
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. last — final
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. last — finally
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cap — a hat
  17. club — a group
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. last — to go on
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cell — in biology

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