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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: chair · mine · snap · fine · roll · mouse · cell · rest

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fine — all right
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chair — a leader
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fine — high quality
  16. snap — to click
  17. mine — for digging
  18. roll — a list
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rest — what's left
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cell — in biology
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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