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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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 — a phone
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. capital — money
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — a trail
  12. capital — a city
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chest — a box
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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