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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. land — ground
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. firm — decided
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. land — to come down
  13. firm — a company
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. squash — to crush
  16. firm — steady
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. land — a country
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. hide — to keep secret

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