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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rest — a break
  5. bank — for money
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. land — a country
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pit — a hole
  10. land — to come down
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rest — what's left
  15. land — ground
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. cell — in biology

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