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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bound — certain
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rest — a break
  12. mate — to breed
  13. fall — the season
  14. land — ground
  15. last — finally
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. land — a country
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bound — obliged
  21. land — to come down
  22. last — to go on
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. last — final

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