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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. shower — rain
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bound — certain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bound — tied together
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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