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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. spring — the season
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. spring — of water
  17. staff — a stick
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. staff — employees
  22. spring — a coil
  23. season — in sport
  24. fork — to eat with

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