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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ground — a position
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chest — a box
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bank — of a river
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. object — to protest
  13. chest — of your body
  14. scale — in music
  15. bank — for money
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. game — wild animals
  21. object — an aim
  22. game — a match
  23. bank — for money
  24. object — a thing

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