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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.

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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. season — of the year
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. board — a committee
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a grade
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. season — in sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. mark — a trace
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spell — letters
  19. bound — obliged
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cell — a phone
  22. board — to get on
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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