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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. last — final
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bear — the animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. last — finally
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. scale — size or range
  15. last — to go on
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. scale — in music
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mouse — the animal

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