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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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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. toast — bread
  4. snap — to click
  5. march — music
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. lie — to recline
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. march — the month
  15. rule — a law
  16. cell — in biology
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. net — in sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. march — the month
  21. craft — boats
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. craft — a skill
  24. toast — the most admired

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