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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mate — a partner
  4. march — the month
  5. cell — a phone
  6. press — a publisher
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ground — crushed
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. march — the month
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — a division
  15. press — to push
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rest — a break
  21. ground — a position
  22. march — music
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rest — what's left

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