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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 124 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. suit — to fit
  4. last — final
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. chest — of your body
  13. can — to be able to
  14. last — finally
  15. chest — a box
  16. can — a tin
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pound — a weight
  20. can — a tin
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. last — to go on
  23. suit — clothes
  24. pitcher — a jug

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