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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rock — a stone
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chest — a box
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — a series
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rock — music
  22. snap — to click
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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