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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. drill — army training
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. drill — the tool
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bound — tied together
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lie — to recline
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cell — a phone
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bound — obliged
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bound — certain
  24. scale — in music

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