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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cell — a phone
  4. club — for golf
  5. scale — in music
  6. object — a thing
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rest — what's left
  10. club — a group
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rest — a break
  15. tear — to rip
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. object — to protest
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. object — an aim
  20. chest — a box
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rest — what's left

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