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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. suit — clothes
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. row — to paddle
  10. snap — to click
  11. suit — in cards
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. hand — help
  14. kick — in football
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. suit — to fit
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. row — a line
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fall — to drop
  24. saw — the tool

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