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

Word bank: rest · cell · fall · board · leaves · saw · kid · sharp

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cell — in biology
  4. fall — the season
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. board — a committee
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. sharp — clever
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. board — to get on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — child
  24. fall — to drop

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