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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mug — a face
  3. toast — bread
  4. chest — a box
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mug — to rob
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rule — government
  15. band — a ring
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mug — a cup
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. chest — of your body
  21. band — a music group
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rule — a law

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