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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cap — a hat
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. cell — in biology
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bear — the animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kid — to tease
  15. prune — to trim
  16. press — newspapers
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bay — a horse colour

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