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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wind — moving air
  5. track — to keep track
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. track — a song
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bound — certain
  11. wind — moving air
  12. tube — a container
  13. bound — obliged
  14. track — a path
  15. game — a match
  16. bound — tied together
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cell — in biology
  20. branch — a division
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cell — a phone
  24. game — wild animals

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