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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rest — a break
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. stem — to come from
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. board — to get on
  14. last — finally
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cell — in biology
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. firm — a company
  22. board — a committee
  23. cell — a phone
  24. sharp — with an edge

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