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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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Word bank
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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. chair — a professorship
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. chest — a box
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. squash — the sport
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. face — part of the head
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. scale — in music
  11. face — to confront
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chair — a leader
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bear — the animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chest — of your body
  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