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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. file — a tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — in sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mark — a trace
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lean — thin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mark — a grade
  24. file — a document

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