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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.

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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rest — a break
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rest — what's left
  9. capital — money
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. capital — a city
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cell — in biology
  22. march — the month
  23. fine — all right
  24. temple — a place of worship

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