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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. drill — a practice
  3. game — wild animals
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cell — a phone
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mug — a face
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. perch — the fish
  18. game — a match
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — a container
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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