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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. season — in sport
  3. firm — a company
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. firm — steady
  8. cue — a hint
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cue — a signal
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. file — a document
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. firm — decided
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cue — for pool
  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