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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. row — to paddle
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. row — a line
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rest — what's left
  8. last — to go on
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitch — completely
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rest — a break
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cell — a phone
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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