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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chest — of your body
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. face — part of the head
  17. club — for golf
  18. ball — a dance
  19. season — in sport
  20. face — to confront
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ball — a great time
  23. chest — a box
  24. face — to point toward

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