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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.

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: scale · game · cell · spell · leaves · field · can · fine

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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 — a phone
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. can — a tin
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. spell — letters
  8. field — for sport
  9. scale — size or range
  10. field — a subject
  11. fine — all right
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. game — a match
  14. scale — in music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — farmland
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. can — to be able to
  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