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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mark — a grade
  6. file — a tool
  7. cell — a phone
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. season — in sport
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mark — a trace
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. season — of the year
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wake — before a funeral

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