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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. cell — in biology
  5. board — a committee
  6. ground — a position
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. board — to get on
  10. march — the month
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. staff — a stick
  15. ground — crushed
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. ground — the earth
  21. snap — to click
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wake — a trail
  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