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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chest — a box
  4. bound — certain
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. last — final
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bound — obliged
  17. kick — in football
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. deal — to handle
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. arm — part of the body

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