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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bark — to shout
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — the season
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. kick — in football

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