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

Word bank: mark · cell · mug · club · deal · cold · ruler · ball

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. club — a group
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mark — a trace
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mug — to rob
  19. club — for golf
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mug — a face
  23. cold — not warm
  24. deal — an agreement

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