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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. can — a tin
  4. last — to go on
  5. march — the month
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pop — soda
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pop — to visit
  10. hand — in cards
  11. march — music
  12. last — finally
  13. can — to be able to
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pop — music
  17. can — a tin
  18. march — the month
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. last — final
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. hand — help
  24. arm — part of the body

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