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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pass — a permit
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. firm — decided
  7. clip — a video
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. firm — a company
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. race — humankind
  13. clip — for paper
  14. race — the arms race
  15. firm — steady
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. race — a contest
  24. dip — to dunk

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