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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. drill — the tool
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mug — to rob
  7. drill — army training
  8. ground — a position
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. capital — money
  14. mug — a face
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cell — in biology
  17. ground — crushed
  18. drill — a practice
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mug — a cup
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. capital — a city

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