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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: safe · lie · object · bore · ball · last · cell · pop

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pop — music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bore — to drill
  12. last — to go on
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. ball — a great time
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. object — an aim
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cell — a phone

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