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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. rest — a break
  3. cold — an illness
  4. spell — letters
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cold — not warm
  8. suit — to fit
  9. staff — employees
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. staff — employees
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — magic
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spell — a short time
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cell — a phone

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