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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. band — a ring
  4. rest — a break
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. march — the month
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. band — a music group
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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