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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chair — a leader
  7. current — of water
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. current — happening now
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wake — a trail
  13. row — a line
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. current — electric
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. row — to paddle
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hand — help
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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