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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. chest — of your body
  3. race — a contest
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chest — a box
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. race — the arms race
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — humankind
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cell — in a prison

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