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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cell — a phone
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. lie — to recline
  8. season — in sport
  9. cell — in biology
  10. season — of the year
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — clothes
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. suit — to fit
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chair — a leader
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chest — a box
  24. ball — a dance

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