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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rest — what's left
  3. current — happening now
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. lie — to recline
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chest — a box
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. current — of water
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rest — a break
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. current — electric
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cell — in biology
  21. chest — of your body
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lie — an untruth

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