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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mate — a friend
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cell — a phone
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mate — to breed

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