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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. key — in music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stem — to come from
  7. club — for golf
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chest — a box
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wake — a trail
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chair — a leader
  17. club — a group
  18. cell — a phone
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. cell — in a prison

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