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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cell — a phone
  3. row — a line
  4. mug — to rob
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mug — a face
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rest — what's left
  10. present — a gift
  11. pitch — completely
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mug — a cup
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cell — in biology
  19. present — there
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pitch — a sports field

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