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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. season — of the year
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — magic
  8. spring — a coil
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cell — a phone
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. staff — a stick
  16. spell — a short time
  17. squash — the sport
  18. season — in sport
  19. spell — letters
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. face — to confront

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