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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · cell · court · leaves · saw · pit · kick · fan

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — steady
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — of law
  6. firm — decided
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. court — for sport
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. saw — the tool
  12. court — of a king
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cell — in biology
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pit — in a race

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