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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. current — happening now
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pit — in a race
  5. capital — a city
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. capital — money
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wake — a trail
  13. current — of water
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cell — in biology
  22. current — electric
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. perch — for a bird

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