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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bulb — for light
  3. land — a country
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cell — in biology
  9. land — ground
  10. season — in sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rash — a series
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mark — a trace
  19. season — of the year
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. land — to come down

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