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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. spring — of water
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. spring — the season
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spring — a coil
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. season — in sport
  12. track — a song
  13. plane — a tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. track — a path
  16. season — of the year
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pit — a hole
  19. fine — all right
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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