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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 124 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bound — tied together
  3. land — ground
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cell — a phone
  7. land — a country
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. staff — employees
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bound — certain
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. land — to come down
  14. cold — not warm
  15. staff — employees
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cold — an illness
  20. root — of a word
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rush — hurry
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. staff — a stick

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