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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. face — to point toward
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. degree — an amount
  14. spell — magic
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. face — to confront
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spell — a short time
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. degree — temperature
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spell — letters
  24. cell — a phone

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