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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bound — tied together
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rash — hasty
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bound — certain
  13. rash — a series
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. season — in sport
  22. cell — a phone
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — of the year

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