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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mark — a trace
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pound — a weight
  13. game — a match
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. staff — employees
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. game — wild animals
  22. court — of law
  23. mark — a grade
  24. staff — employees

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