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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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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. fine — all right
  5. game — a match
  6. rest — a break
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. scale — in music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. scale — for weighing

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