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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cell — in biology
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. charge — a price
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. band — a ring
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. charge — in control
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mark — a trace
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. band — a music group
  24. clip — a video

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