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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. club — for dancing
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. club — for golf
  8. wound — an injury
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. shower — rain
  14. row — to paddle
  15. club — a group
  16. key — for a lock
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. key — the most important part
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. row — a line
  21. key — in music
  22. staff — employees
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. staff — employees

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