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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pit — a hole
  7. club — for golf
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pit — in a race
  10. court — of law
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. club — a group
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. club — for dancing
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. hand — help
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stem — of a plant

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