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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. shower — to wash
  6. staff — employees
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lean — thin
  12. race — a contest
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. shower — rain
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cold — an illness
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. race — humankind

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