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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 116 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spring — a coil
  7. press — to push
  8. board — a committee
  9. spring — the season
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. plane — a tool
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. board — to get on
  16. season — of the year
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. press — a publisher
  19. spring — of water
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cell — in biology
  23. press — newspapers
  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