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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 120 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wake — a trail
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rest — a break
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chip — to eat
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bound — certain
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cell — in a prison

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