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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tube — a container
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cell — in biology
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. can — a tin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chest — of your body
  20. toast — bread
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — a box

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