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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. march — the month
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fine — all right
  9. current — electric
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. current — happening now
  13. cell — in biology
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. current — of water
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chest — a box
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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