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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pit — in a race
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cell — in biology
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bat — the animal
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fine — all right
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fine — a penalty

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