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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fine · spring · bat · cell · mug · shower · pop · mate

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spring — of water
  5. mate — to breed
  6. spring — the season
  7. shower — rain
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bat — the animal
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pop — soda
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mug — a face
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fine — all right
  24. pop — music

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