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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. squash — to crush
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rash — a series
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. face — to confront
  12. chair — a leader
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chip — to eat
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mate — to breed
  18. face — part of the head
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. face — to point toward
  23. chip — for betting
  24. rash — hasty

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