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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cue — for pool
  10. staff — a stick
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. staff — employees
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bear — the animal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. staff — employees
  23. cue — a signal
  24. chair — a professorship

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