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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pit — a hole
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. press — to push
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bound — certain
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. row — a line
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mine — for digging
  24. press — a publisher

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