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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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 biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. lean — thin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. face — to point toward
  8. last — final
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lean — to bend
  11. last — to go on
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wound — an injury
  14. face — to confront
  15. track — a path
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. track — a song
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. last — finally
  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