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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · bat · game · bay · cell · fine · march · scale

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. scale — size or range
  11. game — a match
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. game — wild animals
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. scale — in music
  23. fine — all right
  24. march — the month

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