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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ball — a great time
  4. staff — employees
  5. lean — thin
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. staff — employees
  10. cell — a phone
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pound — a weight
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pop — soda
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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