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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. present — the time now
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mine — for digging
  15. club — for golf
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hand — in cards
  19. club — a group
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. hand — help

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