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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. face — to confront
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. face — to point toward
  12. staff — employees
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cell — in biology
  17. staff — a stick
  18. row — to paddle
  19. staff — employees
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wind — moving air
  22. face — part of the head
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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