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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.

Make a worksheet

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 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. object — a thing
  4. season — in sport
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. row — to paddle
  10. season — of the year
  11. object — an aim
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. row — a line
  14. snap — to click
  15. cell — in biology
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. object — to protest

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