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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cell — a phone
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. land — ground
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pit — in a race
  11. land — a country
  12. pop — soda
  13. hand — in cards
  14. land — to come down
  15. hand — help
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pop — to visit
  18. face — to point toward
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. face — to confront
  21. craft — a skill
  22. face — part of the head
  23. craft — boats
  24. pop — music

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