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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. chest — of your body
  4. court — for sport
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chest — of your body
  8. land — a country
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. land — to come down
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rush — hurry
  13. land — ground
  14. charge — in control
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. court — of law
  18. charge — a price
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bark — to shout
  21. court — of a king
  22. chest — a box
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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