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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cell — a phone
  3. firm — steady
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lean — thin
  8. firm — decided
  9. row — to paddle
  10. firm — a company
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cold — an illness
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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