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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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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cell — in biology
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. sharp — clever
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. row — a line
  16. mark — a grade
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. row — to paddle
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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