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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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. pop — soda
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pop — music
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mine — for digging
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kick — in football
  20. chair — a leader
  21. squash — the sport
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chair — a professorship

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