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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. last — to go on
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mate — a partner
  10. perch — the fish
  11. can — a tin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mate — to breed
  16. can — a tin
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. last — final
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mate — a friend
  22. can — to be able to
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mine — an explosive

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