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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. land — a country
  7. pit — in a race
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pit — a hole
  14. land — ground
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. land — to come down
  24. cap — a hat

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