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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. can — to be able to
  4. scale — in music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. land — a country
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. land — to come down
  10. staff — employees
  11. cell — in biology
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — a stick
  14. land — ground
  15. can — a tin
  16. scale — size or range
  17. march — the month
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. staff — employees
  21. march — music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. can — a tin
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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