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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: mate · last · firm · game · ball · face · cell · arm

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. face — part of the head
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. game — wild animals
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. last — to go on
  10. firm — a company
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. last — final
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. face — to confront
  18. cell — a phone
  19. firm — decided
  20. face — to point toward
  21. firm — steady
  22. last — finally
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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