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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. mark — a grade
  2. bank — for money
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mark — a trace
  5. present — there
  6. bank — for money
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mate — a partner
  10. shower — rain
  11. clip — for paper
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. mate — a friend
  15. roll — a list
  16. shower — to wash
  17. roll — a cake
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bank — of a river
  20. clip — a video
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mate — to breed
  23. clip — to cut
  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