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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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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: kid · ball · mark · spell · pit · lie · cell · pop

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. lie — to recline
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spell — magic
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pop — soda
  11. spell — a short time
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pit — a hole
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pop — music
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pit — in a race
  23. spell — letters
  24. lie — an untruth

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