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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. game — wild animals
  3. can — a tin
  4. mate — to breed
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. cell — a phone
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. game — a match
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cell — in biology
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stem — to come from
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mate — a friend
  24. hide — animal skin

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