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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. land — a country
  6. rock — music
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rock — a stone
  12. key — the most important part
  13. land — to come down
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. land — ground
  18. key — in music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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