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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. land — to come down
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. land — ground
  14. toast — bread
  15. rest — what's left
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. land — a country
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. saw — the tool

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