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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fine — all right
  5. mark — a grade
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. scale — in music
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. row — a line
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cell — in biology
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bound — tied together
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bound — certain
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bound — obliged

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