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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — low music
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bass — the fish
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cell — a phone
  9. hand — help
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wake — a trail
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. last — to go on
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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