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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: cabinet · bat · arm · game · staff · wax · land · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. land — a country
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. game — a match
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cell — a phone
  14. land — to come down
  15. staff — a stick
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. staff — employees
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cell — in biology
  21. land — ground
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bat — for baseball

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