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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cell — a phone
  8. track — a song
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hand — help
  13. staff — a stick
  14. track — a path
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mate — a friend
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mark — a trace
  23. staff — employees
  24. sharp — clever

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