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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rash — hasty
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. rash — a series
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rock — a stone
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rock — music
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. land — to come down
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mark — a grade
  20. land — a country
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mark — a trace
  24. land — ground

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