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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cell — in biology
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bound — certain
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bound — tied together
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mate — to breed
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. board — to get on
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. net — in sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. board — a committee

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