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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mark — a trace
  4. key — in music
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mark — a grade
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rest — what's left
  13. band — a ring
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. band — a music group
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. key — the most important part
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wake — a trail
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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