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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. file — a document
  6. last — finally
  7. face — part of the head
  8. spell — magic
  9. press — newspapers
  10. season — in sport
  11. face — to confront
  12. last — to go on
  13. season — of the year
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. last — final
  18. file — a tool
  19. cap — a lid
  20. file — a line of people
  21. face — to point toward
  22. press — to push
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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