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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. club — for dancing
  3. firm — steady
  4. chest — a box
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. firm — a company
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ground — a position
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ground — crushed
  18. firm — decided
  19. club — for golf
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. club — a group
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wind — to turn a key

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