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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cell — a phone
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chest — of your body
  6. club — a group
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pass — a permit
  9. club — for dancing
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. prune — to trim
  13. club — for golf
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chest — of your body
  21. game — a match
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chest — a box

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