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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. dip — to sink
  6. land — ground
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. land — a country
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cell — in biology
  18. snap — to click
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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