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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rush — hurry
  9. game — wild animals
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. land — to come down
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. game — a match
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mark — a trace
  19. land — a country
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. land — ground
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rush — to hurry

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