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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bank — for money
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rest — a break
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wake — a trail

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