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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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 — in a prison
  2. land — to come down
  3. toast — bread
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. game — wild animals
  8. land — a country
  9. face — to point toward
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stem — to come from
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cell — a phone
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. face — to confront
  18. land — ground
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. game — a match
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. coach — a trainer
  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