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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. dip — to sink
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — a country
  8. scale — size or range
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rock — music
  16. land — ground
  17. scale — in music
  18. snap — to click
  19. land — to come down
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. charge — in control
  23. rock — a stone
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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