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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. chest — of your body
  5. toast — bread
  6. mark — a trace
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bat — the animal
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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