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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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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: snap · cell · toast · bound · bowl · object · saw · march

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. march — the month
  4. object — a thing
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bound — obliged
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bound — certain
  12. object — to protest
  13. saw — the tool
  14. march — music
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. march — the month
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cell — in biology
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. snap — to click
  22. bound — tied together
  23. object — an aim
  24. bowl — a dish

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