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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mine — for digging
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chair — a leader
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cabinet — ministers

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