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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. chest — a box
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cell — a phone
  6. land — a country
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pound — a weight
  10. land — ground
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cell — in biology
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. land — to come down
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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