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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wound — an injury
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — happening now
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. current — electric
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. face — to point toward
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. current — of water
  20. pop — to visit
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. face — to confront
  24. cell — in biology

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