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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. season — of the year
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bass — low music
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. season — in sport
  19. can — a tin
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. kick — in football

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