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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. face — to confront
  3. clip — a video
  4. chest — a box
  5. pass — a permit
  6. season — of the year
  7. face — part of the head
  8. club — for golf
  9. cell — in biology
  10. drill — a practice
  11. club — a group
  12. drill — army training
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. chest — of your body
  18. season — in sport
  19. club — for dancing
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. drill — the tool
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. face — to point toward

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