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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pass — a permit
  4. spell — letters
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — decided
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. firm — steady
  10. spell — magic
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. net — in sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — in biology
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. chest — a box
  22. net — after costs
  23. firm — a company
  24. net — for catching

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