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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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Word bank
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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. suit — clothes
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cell — in biology
  10. suit — to fit
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. kick — in football

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