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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lie — to recline
  3. spring — of water
  4. can — a tin
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spring — the season
  8. season — of the year
  9. cell — a phone
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rule — a law
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — government
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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