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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. last — final
  6. staff — employees
  7. season — in sport
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bulb — for light
  11. last — to go on
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. clip — a video
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. staff — employees
  19. last — finally
  20. cell — in biology
  21. lie — to recline
  22. clip — for paper
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. season — of the year

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