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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · saw · rock · cabinet · foot · cell · tear · rule

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mate — to breed
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. tear — to rip
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rock — music
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rule — a law
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mate — a partner
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rule — government
  23. cell — in biology
  24. saw — the tool

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