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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pop — music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. clip — a video
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pop — to visit
  19. mate — to breed
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mate — a friend
  22. clip — to cut
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pop — soda

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