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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mate — to breed
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bank — for money
  12. scale — in music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bank — for money
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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