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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. race — a contest
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. chest — a box
  6. cell — in biology
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. suit — to fit
  12. race — the arms race
  13. last — to go on
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bound — obliged
  16. last — final
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. last — finally
  22. chest — of your body
  23. race — humankind
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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