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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. content — the amount
  6. mug — to rob
  7. content — happy
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. kid — to tease
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cell — a phone
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kid — child
  17. saw — the tool
  18. row — a line
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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