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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. kick — in football
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — money
  6. chest — a box
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cell — in biology
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cell — a phone
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. suit — in cards
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. capital — a city
  24. kick — a thrill

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