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

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. spring — the season
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. capital — money
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — a city

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