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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. chair — a leader
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. staff — employees
  7. current — electric
  8. staff — employees
  9. pop — music
  10. scale — in music
  11. fall — the season
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pop — to visit
  14. scale — size or range
  15. current — happening now
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pop — soda
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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