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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. squash — to crush
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rest — a break
  9. tear — from crying
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cell — in biology
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. march — the month
  17. lie — to recline
  18. season — of the year
  19. march — music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. march — the month
  22. rest — what's left
  23. season — in sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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