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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. season — in sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. game — a match
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. season — of the year
  20. wake — a trail
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — a weight
  24. march — the month

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