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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. mate — a friend
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. last — finally
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. last — final
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. squash — the sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cell — in biology
  17. last — to go on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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