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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. suit — to fit
  9. ground — crushed
  10. suit — clothes
  11. ground — a position
  12. band — a ring
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fall — the season
  18. can — a tin
  19. ground — the earth
  20. can — a tin
  21. suit — in cards
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bat — the animal
  24. band — a music group

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