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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. object — a thing
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. object — an aim
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. scale — in music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. object — to protest
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. staff — employees

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