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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. rash — a series
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rash — hasty
  12. band — a music group
  13. season — of the year
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cell — in biology
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. tear — to rip
  18. ball — a great time
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cell — a phone

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