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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cell — a phone
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bore — to drill
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. face — to confront
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stem — to come from
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. kick — in football
  16. march — music
  17. bass — low music
  18. march — the month
  19. bore — to tire
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. march — the month
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. stem — of a plant

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