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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cell — a phone
  4. row — a line
  5. court — of law
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. court — for sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. chair — a leader
  16. court — of a king
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. lean — thin
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cell — in a prison

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