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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. perch — the fish
  3. game — a match
  4. toast — bread
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. face — to point toward
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spring — the season
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. spring — a coil
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cell — in biology
  16. face — to confront
  17. spring — of water
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mug — to rob
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. game — wild animals

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